Astros: Why so much love for Jmike?

http://astros290.com/2011/08/29/mills-is-sticking-with-michaels/

He’s never been great defensively, and he’s batting .201 overall this season and just .218 against lefties, but Mills insists on playing him against left handed pitchers instead of J.B. Shuck, Jordan Schafer or Brian Bogusevic.

“Let’s give him a little bit more time…let things play out a little bit more, and we’ll see where he’s at.”

I thought the above article summed it up pretty well. It sounds like to me Mills is making excuses to play Jmike basically because he likes him. I say this because there is not one shred of statistical data or one solid argument that can be made to backup his position.

More time for what???????

Am I or the author missing something?

 

Bourgeois slump has really only been since August 5th

http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/29262/jason-bourgeois

While Jmike has been in one all year with the exception of June.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/4653/jason-michaels

 

In the article, Mills is quoted saying, “J-Mike’s with us and in the past he’s been a real good hitter against left-handers, so we’d like to give him a chance.” He continued, “Let’s give him a little bit more time…let things play out a little bit more, and we’ll see where he’s at.”

No. He is clearly talking about Jmike.

 

Exactly. What is needed now is to develop and evaluate the young guys. That hard to do if they are sitting on the bench. Why would getting Jmike going be of any benefit what so ever to the club? Are we in a race I dont know about?

I agree, let the vets play enough to not go stale. Keep them fresh. But beyond that is just simply counter productive to rebuilding the team.

 

Here is the ENTIRE Article. I dont know what your reading, but what you are quoting isnt there.

« This week in Mills Misfires
Series Preview: A Pirate’s Life for Them, Not Me »
Mills sticking with Michaels

Aug 29th, 2011 by Austin Swafford

What do I do when righties start? Help the grounds crew round up stray kittens, of course. (photo from Baltimore Sun)

Yesterday, Brian McTaggart wrote on the Astros official website that Brad Mills believes in Jason Michaels versus lefties. Mills had to specify this, of course, because of Michaels’s lack of success in any realm this year. He’s never been great defensively, and he’s batting .201 overall this season and just .218 against lefties, but Mills insists on playing him against left handed pitchers instead of J.B. Shuck, Jordan Schafer or Brian Bogusevic.

In the article, Mills is quoted saying, “J-Mike’s with us and in the past he’s been a real good hitter against left-handers, so we’d like to give him a chance.” He continued, “Let’s give him a little bit more time…let things play out a little bit more, and we’ll see where he’s at.”

I don’t mean to rag on Michaels and I’m certainly not picking on him. I’m sure he’s a very nice guy and everyone on the team certainly seems to be behind him. But this dedication on Mills’s part has become very confusing and frustrating for Astros fans. The team is getting younger, and at 35, Michaels kind of stands out. Many fans would like to see younger left handed outfielders (Bogusevic, 27; Schafer, 24; Shuck, 24) get the chance to try their hand against left handed pitchers.

And it’s hard to blame them. During a lost season like the 44-90 mess the Astros find themselves mired in, it only makes sense to allow young players the chance to develop skills they will need later if they truly are the rebuilding pieces the Astros hope they are. What do they have to play for this season? What benefit do they possibly get from any platoon advantage they might have even if Michaels were hitting lefties? He’s never been much more than a platoon player for the Astros, and now that he’s not even hitting lefties well like he has in the past, this tactic has become even more frustrating and confusing.

Mills says he wants to give Michaels more time, to give him more of a chance. For what? He’s got 144 at-bats in 81 games this year. Are we going to find out something about him in September that we didn’t already know in April, May, June, July and August? Is Michaels going to do something that he hasn’t done as he’s batted .231 over three seasons with the Astros?

Since 2008, he’s batting .217 against lefties. The best on-base percentage he’s posted in three years with the Astros is a very low .322. Yes, Michaels has put up better batting averages in years past than he is this year, but nothing that would really drive you to keep him around, especially when you account for the very low on-base percentage and his advanced age. Do we really think he’s going to do something terribly different at the age of 35 than what he’s done in the previous 288 games played with the Astros?

Count me among the non-believers.

The only thing that makes sense at this point is to allow the young lefties a chance to play against lefty pitchers. They’ll need the experience later anyway, so they might as well get it in a lost season. Despite what Mills thinks, there’s nothing to wait for with Michaels. All he’s doing is denying valuable experience to young players.

For more agnostic Astros rants, follow me on Twitter @Astros290

Posted in Gripes and Groans

 

I see what you are saying now. But unless ive lost all my marbles, he is still talking about playing Jmike over another young player (Bogusevic) against lefties. And I still cant understand why.